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O.  E.  S.  Libfuay.  Cop. 


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NEW    HAVEN,   CONN. 
BULLETIN    No.    90. 

MARCH,    1887. 

NOTICE. 

DBF*  Parties  wishing  to  send  samples  for  analysis  should 
apply  before  doing  so  to  the  Station  for  its  Instructions 
for  Sampling  and  Terms  on  which  such  analyses  are 
undertaken. 

The  Bulletins  of  this  Station  will  he  sent  without  further 
special  request  to  those  periodicals  and  public  institutions  which 
have  received  them  hitherto.  They  will  also  be  mailed  to  citi- 
zens of  Connecticut  who  send  their  names  and  addresses  to  the 
Station  for  that  purpose.  Such  applications  should  be  annually 
renewed  as  new  mailing  lists  are  prepared  at  the  beginning  of 
each  year. 

Citizens  of  other  States  may  receive  the  Bulletins  together 
with  the  Annual  Report  by  remitting  fifty  cents  to  cover  cost  of 
mailing,  etc.     Such  orders  should  be  sent  in  early  in  the  year. 

As  required  by  law,  a  package  of  each  Bulletin  is  mailed  to 
every  post-office  in  the  State.  The  package  is  directed  to  the 
Postmaster,  with  a  request  to  distribute  to  farmers.  The  number 
sent  will  be  increased  in  any  case  on  application. 


VALUATION   OF   FERTILIZERS. 

Explanations. 

The  average  Irade-values  or  cost  per  pound,  of  the  ordinarily 
occurring  forms  of  nitrogen,  phosphoric  acid  and  potash,  as 
found  in  the  large  markets  of  New  England,  New  York  and 
New  Jersey,  are  as  follows  : 

These  Trade-values,  except  those  for  phosphoric  acid  soluble  in 
ammonium  citrate,  were  agreed  upon  by  the  Experiment  Stations 
of  Connecticut,  New  Jersey  and  Massachusetts  for  use  in  their 
several  States  during  1887. 

Trade  Values  op  Fertilizing  Ingredients  in  Raw  Mate- 
rials and  Chemicals  foe  1887. 

Cents  per  lb. 

Nitrogen  in  ammonia  salts. . - 17-J 

"  nitrates    , ..... ..    16 

Organic  nitrogen  in  dried  and  fine  ground  fish . 17-J- 

"  "  azotin,  ammonite  and  dry  ground  meat 17-J- 

"  ■'  castor  pomace  . . . 17-J- 

"  '•  dried  and  fine  ground  blood 1%, 

"  "  Sne  ground  bone  and  tankage - lb 

"  "  fine-medium  bone  and  tankage 14 

"  "  medium  bone  and  tankage 12 

"  "  coarse-medium  bone  and  tankage..    10 

"  "  coarse  bone  and  tankage,  horn  shavings,  hair  and  fish 

scrap . . 8 

Phosphoric  acid,  soluble  in  water . . 8 

"  "     soluble  in  ammonium  citrate  * 7-J 

"  "     in  dry  ground  fish 7 

"  "     in  fine  bone  and  tankage 7 

"  "     in  fine-medium  bone  and  tankage 1       6 

"  "     in  medium  bone  and  tankage.. 5 

"  "     in  coarse-medium  bone  and  tankage.. 4 

"  "     in  coarse  bone  and  tankage 3 

"  "     in  fine  ground  rock  phosphate 2 

Potash  as  high  grade  sulphate  and  in  forms  free  from  muriate  (or  chlorides)       5+ 

"       as  kainit - 4^ 

"      as  muriate - 4J 

The  above  Trade-values  are  the  figures  at  which  in  March  the 
respective  ingredients  could  be  bought  at  retail  for  cash,  in  our 
large  markets,  in  the  raw  materials  which  are  the  regular  source 

*  Dissolved  from  2  grams  of  the  unground  phosphate  previously  extracted  with 
pure  water,  by  100  c.  c.  neutral  solution  of  Ammonium  Citrate,  sp.  gr.  1.09,  in 
30  minutes,  at  65°  C,  with  agitation  once  in  five  minutes.  Commonly  called 
"  reverted  "  or  "  backgoue  "  Phosphoric  Acid. 


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of  supply.  They  also  correspond  to  the  average  wholesale  prices 
for  the  six  months  ending  March  1st,  plus  about  20  per  cent,  in 
case  of  goods  for  which  we  have  wholesale  quotations.  The  val- 
uations obtained  by  use  of  the  above  figures  will  be  found  to 
agree  fairly  with  the  reasonable  retail  price  at  the* large  markets 
of  standard  raw  materials  such  as  : — 

Sulphate  of  Ammonia,  Azotin, 

Nitrate  of  Soda,  Dry  Ground  Fish, 

Muriate  of  Potash,  Ammonite, 

Sulphate  of  Potash,  Castor  Pomace, 

Dried  Blood,  Bone  and  Tankage, 

Plain  Superphosphate.  Ground  So.  Carolina  Rock. 

Trade  Values   in   Superphosphates,  Special   Manures  and 
Mixed  Fertilizers  of  High  Grade. 

The  Organic  Nitrogen  in  these  classes  of  goods  is  reckoned  at 
the  highest  figure  laid  down  in  the  Trade-values  of  Fertilizing- 
Ingredients  in  Raw  Materials,  namely,  17^  cents  per  pound,  it 
being  assumed  that  the  organic  nitrogen  is  derived  from  the  best 
sources,  viz :  bone,  tankage,  blood,  fish,  castor  pomace,  or  other 
equally  good  forms,  and  not  from  leather,  shoddy,  hair  or  any 
low-priced  inferior  forms  of  vegetable  matter,  unless  the  contrary 
is  ascertained. 

Insoluble  Phosphoric  acid  is  reckoned  at  3  cents,  it  being  as- 
sumed, unless  found  otherwise,  that  it  is  from  bone  or  similar 
source  and  not  from  rock  phosphate.  In  this  latter  form  the  in- 
soluble phosphoric  acid  is  worth  but  2  cents  per  pound.  Potash 
is  rated  at  4|  cents,  if  sufficient  chlorine  is  present  in  the  fertilizer 
to  combine  with  it  to  make  muriate.  If  there  is  more  Potash 
present  than  will  combine  Avith  the  chlorine,  then  this  excess  of 
Potash  is  reckoned  at  5^  cents. 

In  most  cases  the  valuation  of  the  Ingredients  in  Superphos- 
phates and  Specials  falls  below  the  retail  price  of  these  goods. 
The  difference  between  the  two  figures,  represents  the  manufac- 
turer's charges  for  converting  raw  materials  into  manufactured 
ai'ticles.  These  charges  are  for  grinding  and  mixing,  bagging  or 
barreling,  storage  and  transportation,  commission  to  agents  and 
dealers,  long  credits,  interest  on  investment,  bad  debts,  and 
finally,  profits. 

The  majority  of  reputable  manufacturers  agree  that  the  average 
cost  of  mixing,  bagging,  handling  and  cartage  ranges  from  $3.00 
to  $4.50  per  ton. 


Iii  1886  the  average  selling  price  of  Ammoniated  Superphos- 
phates and  Guanos  was  $36.58,  the  average  valuation  was  $29.42, 
and  the  difference  $7.16 — an  advance  of  24.3  per  cent,  on  the 
valuation  and  on  the  wholesale  cost  of  the  fertilizing  elements  in 
the  raw  materials. 

In  case  of  Specials  the  average  cost  was  $42.56,  the  average 
valuation  $36.70,  and  the  difference  $5.86  or  16.0  per  cent,  ad- 
vance on  the  valuation. 

To  obtain  the  Valuation  of  a  Fertilizer  (i.  e.  the  money-worth 
of  its  fertilizing  ingredients),  we  multiply  the  pounds  per  ton  of 
Nitrogen,  etc.,  by  the  trade-value  per  pound.  We  thus  get  the 
values  per  ton  of  the  several  ingredients,  and  adding  them  to- 
gether we  obtain  the  total  valuation  per  ton. 

Further  explanations  may  be  found  in  the  Annual  Report. 

FERTILIZER   ANALYSES. 

Ashes. 

1886.  "Corn  Cob  Ashes."  Sampled  and  sent  by  W.  W. 
Pease,  Thompsonville. 

1897.  Unleached  Hard  Wood  Ashes.  Sample  drawn  from  a 
car-load  of  15  tons,  purchased  of  James  Hartness,  Detroit,  Mich. 
Sent  by  W.  H.  Burr,  Westport. 

1896.  Cotton  Seed  Hull  Ashes.  Sampled  by  Dwight  S. 
Fuller,  Suffield,  from  car-load  received  by  him  from  the  south. 

1899.  Cotton  Hull  Ashes.  Sample  drawn  by  Edmund  Halla- 
day,  Suffield,  from  four  packages  in  stock  of  F.  S.  Harmon,  agent 
for  F.  Ellsworth,  Hartford. 

Analyses  and  Valuations. 

1886.  1897.  1896.  1899. 

Potash  soluble  in  water 12.87  5.34  18.97  32.79 

Phosphoric  Acid,  soluble L. \                            t  1.57  .91 

"              "      '-reverted".    (■    2.26  1.66 -]  7.63  4.00 

"               "      insoluble J                              (  1.42  .09 

Sand,  soil  and  coal -     34.65  15.40 

Moisture -  -  -  1 0.84 

Costperton - $25.00       $11.00  $33.00 

Valuation  per  ton $17.32  8.09         35.39         43.57 

Potash  is  valued  in  ashes  at  5-J  cents  per  pound,  being  in  other 
forms  than  muriate,  and  phosphoric  acid  at  the  same  figure  as  in 


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superphosphates  when  it  is  determined  in  the  three  states.  In 
wood  ashes  which  contain  relatively  little  phosphoric  acid  it  is 
valued  at  7  cents  per  pound. 

The  valuation  of  ashes,  which  is  based  only  on  the  quantities 
of  potash  and  phosphoric  acid  which  they  contain,  falls  very  con- 
siderably below  the  market  price.  The  agricultural  value  of 
ashes,  however,  consists  not  wholly,  oftentimes  not  at  all  in  the 
quantity  of  potash  and  phosphoric  acid  in  them,  but  in  their 
favorable  effect  on  the  mechanical  condition  of  the  soil,  or  in 
their  serving-  as  a  source  of  lime  to  the  crop. 

Potash  Salts. 

1890.  Muriate  of  Potash. 

1892.  "  Sulphate  of  Potash."  Double  Sulphate  of  Potash 
and  Magnesia,  also  called  "  Double  Manure  Salt." 

Each  of  the  above  was  sampled  by  a  Station  agent  from  every 
tenth  bag  in  a  stock  of  50  tons   for  sale  by  L.  Sanderson,  119 

Long  Wharf,  New  Haven. 

1890.  1892. 

Potash  soluble  in  water 50.88  27.17 

Equivalent  muriate 80.60 

Equivalent  sulphate 50.20 

Cost  per  ton $42.50  $30.00 

Actual  potash  costs  per  pound 4.17  cts.       5.52  cts. 

Dissolved  Bone  Black  and  Tankage. 

1893.  Dissolved  Bone  Black.  Stock  of  100  tons.  Sampled 
from  every  tenth  bag  by  Station  agents.  Stock  of  L.  Sanderson, 
New  Haven. 

Analysis. 

Soluble  Phosphoric  Acid — 15.55 

Reverted  Phosphoric  Acid —  .10 

Insoluble  Phosphoric  Acid .18 

Cost  per  ton $26.00 

Valuation  per  ton - 25.10 

Bone  and  Tankage. 

1889.     Western  Tankage.     Stock  of  50  tons. 

1891.  New  York  Tankage.     Stock  of  50  tons. 

1894.  Ground  Bone.     Stock  of  25  tons. 


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The  above  samples  were  drawn  l>y  Station  agents  from  every 
tenth  bag  in  stock  of  the  seller,  L.  Sanderson,  119  Long  Wharf, 
New  Haven. 

Mechanical  Analyses. 

1889.  1891.  1894. 

Fine,  smaller  than  £■$  inch 65  75  (55  per  cent. 

Fine  medium,  smaller  than  -£s  inch 22  14  35        ■' 

Medium,  smaller  than  -/-„-  inch 12  9                 0        " 

Coarse  medium,  smaller  than  \  inch 1  2                0       " 

100  100  100 

Chemical  Analyses  arid  Valuations. 

1889.         1891.         1894. 

Nitrogen 7.46  5.38  3.86 

Phosphoric  Acid. 12.44         19.24  21.78 

Cost  per  ton...    _ $38.00       $38.00        $35.00 

Valuation  per  ton 38.60         41.87  40.78 

S.  W.  JOHNSON,  Director. 


University  of 
Connecticut 

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